The Washington critic., 1887-03-14
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, MARCH II, 1887.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


Olive Logan in recent letter. The
most excruciating personal discomfort
is endured by mistaken votaries OF
hldeous fashion, and girls whose
anatomy clearly proves that they should
have waist Of twenty-five or twenty.
three inches brace themselves into
stovepipe circumference Of seventeen
or eighteen. AS natural consequence
'.;hen girls or women of such plentiful
proportions appear In low.neckcd dress
the bust cannot be disposed of other.
wise than on o6iande, to use the French
coarse phrase. But an Offering 1t Is,
to the eyes at least, and one from which
eyes cannot escape in Washington so.
ciety TO day, for observe that day and
night are these low. necked dresses
worn. II Is astonishing with
what unanimity and persistence
women will deny the charge OF
tight lacing. Some women are
so Ignorant Of their own physi-
illogical features that they are really
unaware that they do lace too tightly.
The spoDgelike organs of respiration
win contract almost illimitably, and q
woman puts her hand between her
staybonc and her undergarment and
says: "Therel I'm not laced tight;
can get my hand in" If she couldu
she'd be dead. The place to see who
are the women who lace too tightly Is
the Turkish bath. When the woman
has an indent along her spine In which
you could place u gas pipe she laccs too
tight That Is natures own evidence,
and cannot be gainsaid.
~.
Says the New York Star: Mr.. James
II. Beard, the venerable artist, has
nearly completed Remarkably striking
portrait of General Tecumsch Sher-
man. He has been steadily at work
upon 1t for several weeks, and the
great warrior has houored him with
several sittings, the last one being two
hours and a half in length. "This is
long time for man to sit still, said
Mr.. Beard, yesterday, specially when
he has reached his three scqge years
and ten, but the General has satthrough
SO many prolonged banquets this
season that he found 1t comparatively
light task to sit for his picture. l tell
him that he can save lots of money by
simply having room at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, and relying for his
daily bread upon the numerous invi.
tations of his friends and admirers.
The portrait Is life. size, and the Gen.
cral Is represented in sitting posture,
his right arm resting upon table. lie
wears his uniform, the shining brass
buttons of which stand out as If real.
Mr.. Beard expects to take q trip to
California before long. He will carry
the picture with him, but will not
bring 1t back.
W.
Speak ing of the "Reminiscences OF
the Confederacy," which Senator Rea.
gan, the last surviving member of Mr..
Davis Cabinet, proposes to publish, o
writer in the New York Sun says
Senator Reagan's book would place
Jefferson Davis in new light, for II
would show some of the very great
trials and perpleXities which Davis had
constantly to meet that were caused by
the overweening ambitions and jeal
ousies of some of the Confederates OF
prominence. Davis knew well, the
Senator once said, the peculiarities OF
Southern men; he knew personally and
intimately almost every man of author
ity in the South, and he understood bet
ter than most Southern men did the
weaknesses of human nature. especially
human nature dominated by political
ambition. According to the Senator
there were times when Davis displayed
as much tact us Lincoln in dealing
with prominent men who were embit
tered by personal jcalousies, ant
there were other times wher
he set his heel down very
hard, and no man could grind hardc
heel than Davis If it was necessary
The outcroppings of these ambitions
and the oloshings of them between
members of the Confederate Congress
and the officers of prominence in tn,
field were very painful at the time, bu
In the vista OF memory are now no
without humorous tingc. A promi
nent Confederate once said: 1--WE arr
fighting the Yankees hard enougl
now, but what is It going to be wher
we've licked them and get ready foI
in the minds of Confederates o
calmer judgment cloud in the future
after the Confederacy was established
of which they dared not say much
Joe Browns threatened rebellion II
Georgia, the secret hope or intention o
some South Carolina hot heads OF tn
ultimate establishment of an independ
ent nation by that State, the littl
u1 In, oil Ia.
hints of internal trouble were subject
of informal conversation between Davi
and the members of his Cabinet, and |
the Senator will write fully of what h
knows thereon, a most interesting AM
ain ost wholly new page of Confeler
ate history will be opened.
W.
A guest at the St. Cloud Hotel tn
other day, says the New York 1rijni,
was Simon Wolf of Washington
whose fifty years have not changed hi
handsome face or silvcred his rave
black hair. Mr.. Wolf has been clt
zen of Washington for twenty.hv
years and has held responsible position
under the Government. Few men
America have enjoyed the acquaintanc
and friendship of more distinguishe
men than he. His relations with Iir
coin, Stanton, Sumner, Grant, Shel
man, Logan, Garfield, Blaine, Co,
Randall and hosts of others have bee
Of friendly character. He In
written series OF "Reminiscences
which are soon to be published in ~
NoH0Uh MOHthly. Mr.. Wolf Is III
same generous, open hearted, gent
gentleman as Of yore, In discussin